Our ride to the Kingdom Hall
We were able to enjoy 4 wonderful days with friends and meet some great new brothers and sisters. The Luperon area only has a Spanish congregation of 24 publishers. Going to the Sunday meeting there really made me appreciate how more funds are needed to be donated towards the construction of Kingdom Halls. First, the Kingdom Hall is located on the other side of the river from where many of the brothers and sisters live. Up until July you had to cross the river via a passenger float, which was oared across to the other side. As of July there is a new bridge that allows the congregation, and others, to access the Kingdom Hall and the surrounding area without the treacherous river crossing. On our way to the meeting it started raining, and it rained continually throughout the meeting, and I mean hard. I asked what would have happened in the past if it rained like that and I was told that the meeting would have been cancelled as soon as the rain started, so that they could get back across the river safely. In a country that rains all the time, imagine how many times that had happened.
This is a point I wanted to share that really impressed me. Sometimes we in the states don't really realize how spoiled we really are. I had heard stories in the past of our faithful brothers and sisters and the great lengths they go to in order to go to the meetings. It is really a true testament of the love, faith and appreciation for Jehovah and what he has to offer. As I mentioned on the way to the meeting it was raining very hard. Remember that there were 8 of us in our group, so Mike and Joe rode seperately to the meeting in the other car, since Amber needed to pick up a Bible student. Out of the 24 publishers, the only ones of cars are Joe and Amber, the special pioneer couple and one brother that sometimes is able to use his work truck. So as you guessed, the others all walk. As we were driving to the meeting we see some sisters walking to the Kingdom Hall. Now, being a visitor I had no clue how much further it was to the Hall, but it was well over a mile from where we saw them. These faithful sisters, with their umbrellas, were walking, even despite the downpour. They had not turned around and headed home, but were going straight ahead. My heart hurt for a minute, thinking of the times I have taken Jehovah's arrangements for granted, and the ease it is for me to get to the meetings and yet these ones had it so much harder and wouldn't have considered missing because of rain and the obstacles they were going through. My heart also rejoiced at the same time, because my family (especially the girls) were being able to see the lengths our brothers and sisters will go to to serve Jehovah. Oh and by the way, Mike and Joe were not far behind us, so they picked the sisters up and brought them to the hall.
Little did I know how my heart would fill when we arrived at the Kingdom Hall. I had seen pictures of small foreign Kingdom Halls, places where it would only take $30,000 to buy land and build a new Kingdom Hall, but little did I know I would be in one that day. Here are a few pictures of the Kingdom Hall in Luperon:
Luperon, Dominican Republic Spanish Congregation Kingdom Hall
Literature supply for congregation
Information Board - average attendance was about 38
Mom and Dad visiting with a sister
"Fancy" sound system - notice the whiteboard covering the sound system from rain drops indoors
Keep in mind that it rained very hard throughout the meeting. Yes, the white dots you are seeing on the roof are holes in the tin. So it dripped on most of us more than once. As you can see on the right of the picture there is light shining through the walls. Those are not louvers, but gaps in the building. At one point the brother giving the talk had to all but yell, since the roof is metal and you couldn't hear him for the rain, even with the "sound system"
Yes sisters, this is the bathroom - the Kingdom Hall was built on some property next door to a sister's house - this is her outhouse and she is kind enough to let the brothers and sisters use it
Yes this is the toilet in the outhouse - no toilet paper provided
Now you can see we got alot of rain - this herd of cows passed in front of the hall twice during the meeting - I could see them through the slant in the wall
The dear older couple have been serving Jehovah for many years - he has a wonderfully contagious laugh - warms your heart - he is in his 70's and is walking home with his wife
James Hosier, Rebecca Davila (our daughter), Michael, Joe Amyat (the one to the right of Mike) and a brother that moved with a friend to the DR from Japan to help out in the Spanish
Rebecca and Adelina Rivera
The brother with the contagious laugh - Gilberto Polanco
The river after the meeting - after much heavy rain - this picture was taken from the new bridge
So thus far, our visit to Luperon has been the highlight. We were able to see how it is to live in the country, but not in the city, and we love it. We thank you dearest friends, Joe and Amber, for their hospitality. Tomorrow I will post about the totally secluded beach that we were able to spend the day at on Monday, along with some of the food that Amber made for us.
Beautiful flowers blooming outside the Kingdom Hall
WOW! Tammy and family.... What a huge privilege you were able to be apart of; seeing the friends who love Jehovah despite many many challenges! What a boost of faith it was to go along with you (via pictures)to the meeting that day! Makes us even that much more appreciative of our dear brotherhood... Thanks for sharing your heartfelt expressions with us!
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